More on Author's

I was thinking earlier today, how dumb I was with my original post on my Favorite Author's, because I did not include P.G. Wodehouse in the mix. Now, I know I have a link for him to the left, but not including him in that brief summary was insulting to his memory and I must apologize.
So, what better segway to add one or two more to the list than to start with apologies to the comic master...

) P. G. Wodehouse.
One must start with 'The Code of the Woosters', that's all there is to it. Failing that, start with any Jeeves and Wooster book you can grab. If you've got any humor in you at all, you'll take to his books immediately.
Failing that, then just go to the VHS or DVD adaptation's of his works, featuring the comic brilliance of Stephen Fry as Jeeves and Hugh Laurie as Bertie Wooster. I cannot think of two more able actors to portray these two characters, than Fry and Laurie. Brilliant. Just brilliant.

) Dan Brown
Brown's written four books. His first, Digital Fortress, was good. You can see his progression as a writer if you read them in order. Next came Deception Point. Then Angels and Demons. My suggestion is to go right to 'Angels and Demons' then 'The DaVinci Code'. These two feature the same main character and 'Code' is being made into a movie.

More to come...

My author recommendations...

I've been very pleased with the response to my author recommendtions. It's nice that I've introduced at least 3 others to Terry Goodkind, and one to Jack Vance. I urge readers of that post to continue to write to me.
Thanks.

Friday

Ever had one of those days? Everything started great today. No worries.

SLAM!!!CRASH. Rest of day sucked bad. Terrible bad.

Tomorrow looks just as bleak.

Sunday? Yep. Same.

Monday could very well be the day of DOOM.

I'm not optimistic.

Hat Tip

Hat Tip to Anger Management for adding this site to his Blog Roll. I do appreciate it.
Thank you.


http://angermanagement.mu.nu

Favorite Authors

Besides Miss Rand, Victor Hugo and Shakespeare, I'd like to jot down a few of my other all-time favorites that I recommend to you, and some of their works...
Here goes, and I'm leaving aside the philosophical problems of each writer. If they have any:

I'll start with a category of science fiction/fantasy
1) Jack Vance.
This man is a brilliant writer. The world(s) he creates in all his works are spellbinding. Totally entertaining and compelling. If you're not familiar with his work, start with To Live Forever and/or The Blue World.
The Demon Prince novels are a must read, in spite of their heavy 'libertarianistic' leaning's. In truth, anything you read by him will make you think, and not dissapoint.

2) Stephen R. Donaldson.
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Lord Foul's Bane (Book 1) Although this first book in the two trilogies is slow going, make your way through it, because the rest of the series is not to be missed. These books feature one of my all-time favorite characters. The giant Saltheart Foamfollower.
It's been recently announced that Donaldson is returning to 'The Land' with four new novels. The first of which will be released in hardback next month.

3) Terry Goodkind
I guess he has to be mentioned, doesn't he!
It looks as though there are 11 books in the 'Sword of Truth' series. I'm currently bogged down in book five, which isn't the author's fault.
Wizard's First Rule is Book 1 in this series and is recommended. Clearly defined good vs. evil is Goodkind's hallmark, in my view. Plus, in his books, the villians are socialist's and collectivist's.
Go to your browser, type in his name and read his homage to Ayn Rand.

--Others--

4) Daniel Silva
Start with The Kill Artist and go from there. Although The English Assassin left a somewhat bitter taste, I'm going to continue to read this author, and have bought the next book in the series featuring Gabriel Allon.

5) Robert Heinlein
Revolt in 2100. Hurry and find this one, as it will probably be out of print soon.

6) Greg Iles
This author writes good stories, except that almost every character is a moral sleezebag. Forget 'Mortal Fear' which was so 'dirty' it made me want to take a shower after finishing it.
'Footprints of God' is standard formula (evil corporation and it's leader) semi-decent, but you've been warned. His book '24 Hours,' became a movie called Trapped. Starring Kevin Bacon and Charlize Theron, and worth viewing just to see her in black bra and panties.

7) Dan Simmons.
This writer isn't afraid to cross genre's . He writes SF, crime stories, haunted, and espionage. The Hyperion series of SF novels are held to be classic's by many critics. I concur. They are brilliant.
Darwin's Blade is an excellent place to begin reading him, however. I'm currently reading his book, 'The Crook Factory' .


So here you have a 'short list' of my favorites, and some of their works. I hope you'll investigate them.

What the "Bush Doctrine" should be...

This is excerpted from Diana Hsieh's Blog, Noodlefood. This is exactly where I stand, but she says it better than I can...


"In essence, the Bush Administration is floundering in its own moral fog. It refuses to identify its basic emeny as militant Islam. It defends Islamic values as morally equal to Western values. It often subordinates military victory to Muslim goodwill. It focuses on the violent methods of some militant Islamists rather than the more dangerous goals of the ideology. In order to avoid the charge of cultural imperialism, the Bush Administration is routinely lapsing into cultural relativism. As a result, America lacks a clear vision and purpose in this conflict--and that undermines our capacity to eliminate the grave threat posed by militant Islam. The corresponding impression of weakness and self-doubt emboldens the militant Islamists' dreams of transforming America into an Islamist theocracy."
" Successfully defending ourselves in this present conflict requires a deep understanding of and appreciation for what is at stake: Western culture. In the face of the cultural imperialism of the militant Islamists, moral relativism is not a viable option. Nor is cultural relativism true, for by any reasonable standard, the essentials of Western culture--values such as individual rights, rule of law, limited government, rationality, this-worldliness, and peaceful trade--are infinitely superior to the authoritarianism, racism, death-worship, and theocracy advocated by militant Islamists."
Well said, Diana. I only wish this could be said/told to our current leadership, and that they would respond positively to it.

Check out her Blog [Scroll down to 9/11 Debate]

http://www.dianahsieh.com/blog

American medicine= 1 Socialized medicine= 0

From Dr. Hurd's Daily Dose of Reason:

"Notice that for his heart surgery, former President Bill Clinton is not going to Canada; nor to Great Britain. These nationalized health care systems are both superior to the United States, according to arguments he and his wife made during his first term of office.

When push comes to shove, advocates of socialized systems always run to the capitalist systems ( or semi-capitalist, in the case of the United States.) This is because while they're wrong, they're not stupid. They believe in socialism, but not for themselves, just for the rest of us."

Find more Daily Doses at: http://www.drhurd.com

A 9/11 Weekend

I had family come visit this past weekend for a four day stay. Our objective was to visit the US Coast Guard Academy, the Nautilus museum and Naval Base. Then go to West Point for a saturday football game. I'm proud to say, we achieved all these objectives.
Words are hard to find to express how impressed I am/was with our young people who are attending both the Coast Guard Academy and West Point. Not only were they polite, but generous as well. It's so refreshing to see young men and women who have what I call, a 'personal integrity' about them.
Except for the horrifying presence of religion, I am so grateful to our military academies, to their instructors, and to the students who attend there. It's very, very gratifying to see your tax monies go to legitimate government functions, such as protecting this great, noble nation.
Touring West Point just has to be one of the highlights of my life. I was so impressed with that Post. It is placed in such beautiful surrounding's, again, words nearly fail me.
Not to mention seeing the cadets in full-dress uniform performing on the grounds, honoring our 9/11 victims, it was inspiring. If I weren't so dang old, I would have signed up right then and there.
If you ever want to afford yourself a taste of 'campus life' then I compel you to visit one of these academies a.s.a.p. You won't regret it. Just type West Point and/or US Coast Guard Academy in your browser and take it from there.

So, to our young and brave men and women who are attending these schools and defending our country, you are saluted.

Another new entry to Blog List

I'm adding NoumenalSelf.com to the list of Blog's you should check out. I admire NS's reasoning abilities, and his posting's on Bush vs. Kerry are thought provoking.

I've been seriously thinking about this election for quite awhile now. I must say I was strolling along mindlessly blissful of voting for Bush for the 'defense of America first' issue, until I was hit on the head with Dr. Peikoff's stance, and Dr. John Lewis's articles at capmag.com, concerning "faith-based" welfare statism, which shook me back to reality in a major way. While it is difficult casting a vote for Kerry, it will become even more difficult voting at all if conservatives (i.e., theocrats) continue to undermine our secular foundations.

Dennis Prager interviews Sam Harris on his new book...

Follow this link to a transcript of a radio interview between Dennis Prager and Sam Harris, author of the book, The End of Faith. It's good reading...


http://dennisprager.com/samharris.html

New "single issue" Blog added to Blogroll of Fame

I've received permission to add Horror Unheeded to the list of blogs at left. The single issue Mr. Crawford addresses is the war on terror. Read it. It's worth your time.

Also, I'm adding a link for the Israeli Defense Forces. You can send them pizza, burgers and soft drinks. Check out pizzaidf.com !

Science News...

Teleportation goes the distance [BBC]

Physicists have carried out successful teleportation with particles of light over a distance of 600m across the river Danube in Austria.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3576594.stm

New Items and a Thank you

I've added several new websites that should be of interest to freedom loving individuals. Scroll down my links column until just past Constitution Society. There you will see all the newest links.

Also, I want to thank Nicolas at The Rule of Reason for adding this blog to his Blogroll. I am honored to be included.

Israeli BBQ!!!!

This is just too sweet!!! I love it!


Israel declared psychological war on hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners today, saying it would bbq meat outside their cells to try to break their spirit.

Read more...

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/headline/world/2738725

[Hat tip: Venting Steam]

The End of Faith

by Sammuel Harris

Here are excerpts from his new book. You can explore more about him and his book at
http://www.samharris.org

"It seems that if our species ever eradicates itself through war, it will not be because it was written in the stars but because it was written in our books; it is what we do with words like "God" and "paradise" and "sin" in the present that will determine our future."

"Tell a devout Christian that his wife is cheating on him, or that frozen yogurt can make you invisible, and he is likely to require as much evidence as anyone else, and to be persuaded only to the extent that you give it. Tell him that the book he keeps by his bed was written by an invisible deity who will punish him with fire for eternity if he fails to accept its every incredible claim about the universe, and he seems to require no evidence whatsoever."

"Our world is fast succumbing to the activities of men and women who would stake the future of our species on beliefs that should not survive an elementary school education. That so many of us are still dying on account of ancient myths is as bewildering as it is horrible, and our own attachement to thse myths, whether moderate or extreme, has kept us silent in the face of developments that could ultimately destroy us. Indeed, religon is as much a living spring of violence today as it was at any time in the past."

You can purchase the book via the link to the left, if you so choose.

Self-responsibility

This thought occured to me earlier today. As a backlash against the Leftist surrender of reason to attacks on everything American, today's Conservatives extoll a return to "self-responsibility".
Yet, isn't religion, faith, and every act concerning these two ways of conducting one's life....a total abdication of thought, therefore action, in reality. Evasion on such a complete scale is a total surrender of the responsibility of being (and becoming) a human being [i.e., a rational animal].
To accept one thing, anything, on faith, is to cripple the actual and proper function of one's mind. In short, sense perception, concepts, logic. Ayn Rand said once, "The alleged shortcut to knowledge, which is faith, is only a short-circuit, destroying the mind."
I cannot tell you how many people I hear openly say "I can't wait to die." Now, they don't use these exact words, but they are quite close. Moreso than you'd think. I'm starting to think that each time I hear someone say the usual refrain, "Lord, have mercy on me. Take me away from all this," means, actually means, "I'm ready to die, Lord."
More and more, and especially in the last few years, I'm thinking that religion, religious belief, is slow psychological suicide. Suicide, whether it takes a moment, a day, 30 or 100 years, you are committing yourself to a slow death. To be religious is to cast a pall over your own life and mental functioning.
That's why I'm so glad I was introduced to Ayn Rand's writing's. She said another true gem when she made the statement, "It is philosophy that got us into this mess, it is only philosophy that can get us out." She did not say this outright (at least I don't think so) but I will. It is only Objectivism that can "save" man, and therefore, the world.

New Items

I have added two new items to the Links list at your left. MyMediaList, which shows what I'm currently reading, watching, listening to, and, I'm now an Amazon Associate! [Still working on the Amazon link.]

The Idiocy of Crowds & of authors who think there's a Collective Intelligence

A collective intelligence which produces more "wisdom" than any individual can.

Here's a succint book review of James Surowiecki's book, "The Wisdom of Crowds", found in Canada's Financial Post. Let's just say, he points out some of the flaws in such "thinking".

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=6eec0c70-109f-4291-a27e-3bb3fd6c22af

Illinois

I've just read where Alan Keyes is going to move to Illinois to run for the Senate seat being challenged by that smooth talking con-artist Barack Obama.
Well, does anyone beside me think this will virtually guaranty Obama's "lead-pipe lock" on the Senate seat? Tipping the Senate over to the Dems?
Mr. Keyes is just a Bible thumping, hapless, waste of space. Even if he were somehow to win, he would be utterly useless as a politician. Totally out of his league. An embarrassment.
Nor am I happy about this slick Obama suit. He is just dangerous. Even so, if I lived in Illinois, I would vote for Obama over Keyes 10 times out of ten. Just like they do there in Illinois ;-)

Presidential Library...

This post is a response to a NYT article on recommendation's that theologians give, on books for both Presidential candidates. Needless to say, their choices were, and are, dreadful. I will link to the story after I post what I think are basic texts that any honest political candidate should have a thorough knowledge of:

Here's my list. In no way is this complete, but for starters...

1) Philosophy: Who Needs It by Ayn Rand.
2) The Ominous Parallels: The End of Freedom in America by Leonard Peikoff
3) Atheism: The Case Against God by George Smith
4) The Foreign Policy of Self-Interest: A Moral Ideal for America by Peter Schwartz
5) Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal by Ayn Rand
6) Moral Rights and Political Freedom by Tara Smith


This list is not complete, but for any candidate who truly wants America to prosper, he/she must have read, and understood, these 6 books. Perhaps I'll add a few more, as they come to me. I'll check my own library in the den!

Here's the NYTimes link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/24/national/24beliefs.html?ex=1092513768&ei=1&en=323d42da30247a79